Nation-building enterprises by the United States and the broader international community have run the gamut of success and failure. Some have enjoyed overwhelming support and others debilitating controversy. Some are motivated by national security interests; others by humanitarian concerns. They have seemingly exploded since the end of the Cold War but in fact have long been used as a foreign policy tool. What they all have in common is a substantial investment of troops, treasure and time. There is no formula for success—each operation is unique, with lessons to be learned and trends to be noted. Examining the history of America’s experience in nation-building, this book describes the mechanisms behind what often appears to be a haphazard enterprise.
Table of Contents
Preface
Introduction
1.Nation-Building in Context
2.The Cases for and Against Nation-Building
3.Altruistic Nation-Building: Somalia
4.Self-Interested Nation-Building: Roosevelts Corollary
5.Sequencing Security: The Philippines and Germany
6.Armed Resistance to Nation-Building: The U.S. South during
Reconstruction
7.Nation-Building at the Local Level: Vietnam
8.Nation-Building at the National Level: Iraq
9.Nation-Building and Civil Society: Mitchelville
10.The American Government as Nation-Builder: USAID in Afghanistan
11.NGOs and IGOs as Nation-Builders: Bosnia
12.The Future of Nationand State-Building
Chapter Notes
Bibliography
Index
Kevin Dougherty, a retired Army lieutenant colonel, is the assistant commandant for leadership programs and an adjunct professor at The Citadel in Charleston, South Carolina. Robert J. Pauly, Jr., is an associate professor of international development at the University of Southern Mississippi, focusing on U.S. foreign policy, national security and the Greater Middle East.
